Nipple.



M. H.McMANN.

NIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 2119I8.

MARGARET H. MCMANN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

NIPPLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Application filed January 2, 1918. Serial No. 209,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIARGARET H. Mo- MANN, a citizen of United States of America, residing at New York, in the county of 'New York and State of New York, have in vented new and useful Improvements in Nipples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to nipples for nursing bottles and particularly to an improvement in the form of the invention described in my Patent No. 1,147,740, of July 27,1915.

The principal object of the invention resides in the provision of means for greatly facilitating the application of the nipple to the neck of a bottle and the removal, other than accidental or casual of said nipple from the bottle; the formation of a skirt at the base of the nipple; the thickening in the width of the walls of the skirt in the direction of the breast of the nipple; varying the internal diameters of the skirt so that one portion will remain in perfect contact with the bottle and another portion spaced from the walls of said bottle, and the formation as an integral portion of the skirt whose internal diameter is less than the internal diameter of any other portion of the skirt whereby said portion will be made to effectually embrace the neck of the bottle and securely underlie the bead of the neck thereof and thereby positively prevent apcidental displacement of thenipple while the bottle is in use.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a nipple having a skirt portion whose walls increase in thickness in the direction of the breast of the nipple and which terminate at either side of the walls of the breast in internal and external portions respectively, one of which is designed to engage with the bead at the mouth of the bottle and the other with the fingers of the hand when applying the nipple to the bottle.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1, is a side View of the nipple illustrating the manner of adjusting the same to a nursing bottle.

Fig. 2, is a vertical section therethrough.

Fig. 3, is a horizontal section on the line 33, ofv Fig. 2.

Fig. 4:, is a view similar to Fig. 2, shoW- ing a slightly modified form of nipple.

' Fig. 5, is a section on an enlarged scale through a portion of the nipple showing a further' modification thereof.

Fig. 6, is a similar view showing a still further modification thereof.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, to 3,-inclusive, the nipple 5, is provided with a breast portion 6, and an outlet opening 7. Extending from the breast is a skirt 8, whose walls increase in thickness in the direction of said breast as clearly shown in Fig. 2,;of the drawing.

The said skirt is provided, incident to such formation described above with an inner flared wall 9. On the inside-of the nipple the skirt terminates in an annular thickened I The said portion 11, is arranged at an angle conforming with that of the bead 12, so that it will snugly underlie said bead to insure a perfect connection of the nipple and positively prevent the same from being pulled entirely off of the bottle while the latter is .111 use.

Approximately arranged on the same horizontal line with the upper edge of said portion 11, and formed as an integral continuation of the skirt 8, is an external bead or annular rib 13, which extends upward and outward beyond the walls of the breast 6. This bead is arranged at approximately an obtuse angle to the angle of the shoulder 11", on said portion 11, and due to its peculiar formationis adapted to spread slightly in a horizontal direction when pressure of the hand is applied thereto when pushing the nipple over the mouth of a bottle. In functioning in this manner a broad gripping surface is afforded upon which the fingers of the hand can rest when applying the nipple and as a consequence thereof the nipple slips into applied position over the mouth of the bottle with comparative ease.

The maximum internal diameter of the skirt is normally greater than the external diameter of the mouth of the bottle-so that no difficulty will be experienced upon initially associating the nipple with the bottle. After the skirt portion of the nipple is positioned above themouth of the bottle 111, interiorly' out the skirt, arranged beneath the bead 12, of said bottle. The base of the skirt has an internal diameter slightly greater than the adjacent external diameter of the bottle in order that the latter is thus spaced slightly from the former at a point below said portion 11 This permits the fingers of the hand to be inserted be-.

. at the opposite end. @therwise the. construction is identical with that previously described.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the skirt 8, is provided with an external bead 18, which is identical in construction with an internal portion 19, of the nipple. From this construction, it is evident that the nipple is reversible in order that all parts thereof may be exposed when desired when subjecting it to the action of a cleansing or sterilizing agenta In the form shown in Fig. 6, the parts are likewise reversible but in this instance the skirt 8, is provided with an external bead 20, and an internal portion 21, each arranged at substantially an obtuse angle to a line drawn vertically through the niple. p in either of the forms, it is evident that the bottle may beheld in one hand and the nipple in the other and the fingers positioned about the nipple and also about the bottle so as to prevent the fingers from coniing in contact with any of the interior walls of the nipple or the immediate walls at the mouth of the bottle, thus minimizing contamination of the contents of the bottle by infectious matter that might otherwise be accidentally carried thereto.

What I claim.is:

l. A nipple provided with a continuous annular skirt, a breast portion merging into the skirt, the said skirt having walls which increase in thickness from its base toward the breast and which are provided with substantially alined lateral portions arranged interiorly and exteriorly respectively an upward direction so as to provide an external projection at the juncture of the skirt with the upper portion ofthe nipple and an internal gripping portion adapted to embrace the mouth of a nursing bottle. In testimony whereof I atlix my signature;

MARGARAT H. MGMANN. 

